Agnes Thulean dedicates estate to youth ministry

Friday

Jul 30, 2010 at 12:01 AMJul 30, 2010 at 8:27 PM

Agnes Thulean's gifts to children went full circle after she died last year.

She taught the 3-year-old Sunday school class at Grace Presbyterian Church for 62 years. After she died, proceeds from her estate went to renovate headquarters of the South Side Mission's youth ministries and Sunday school.

Pam Adams

Agnes Thulean's gifts to children went full circle after she died last year.

She taught the 3-year-old Sunday school class at Grace Presbyterian Church for 62 years. After she died, proceeds from her estate went to renovate headquarters of the South Side Mission's youth ministries and Sunday school.

The South Side Mission will dedicate its new Agnes Thulean Pavilion and playground improvements at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the mission, 1127 S. Laramie.

Though Thulean never had direct involvement with South Side Mission programs, her son and daughter-in-law wanted to tithe part of their inheritance to the mission's youth programs.

"That's where Mom's heart was, with young people," her son, Dick Thulean of Peoria, said Thursday.

Her son would not disclose the amount of the donation. But the money was used to build a pavilion on the mission's Youth Breakout Center behind the main building, as well as to resurface the playground, add playground games and to install a drinking fountain.

"This makes it much nicer for our day camp and Sunday school kids," said Phil Newton, director of the South Side Mission.

Agnes Thulean had worked in the admissions office of Bradley University for 25 years. She was 90 years old when she died last May.

One of the people who will see the benefits of her gift daily was one of her Sunday school students. Sue Murphy, a former Sunday school student at Grace Presbyterian, is director of King's Kids, the mission child-care center.